Question: The sum of two numbers is $45$. Their difference is $3$. What is the lesser of the two numbers?
Solution: Let $x,y$ be the larger and smaller numbers, respectively. We have $x+y=45$ and $x-y=3$. Thus: $y=\frac{1}{2}((x+y)-(x-y))=\frac{1}{2}(45-3)=\boxed{21}$.